Synchronicity: Aftermath
by TheDarkKunoichi
Summary: Rin knew it's going to be hard adjusting to society after living in a cave for 14 years with nothing but a dragon for company. It's especially hard when her brother's companions are pretending to be a family just to let her experience what it's like to have one. But learning how to do everyday things is fun when neighbor Kaito ('older brother', he says) is there to spice things up!
1. Kaito's Past

**Title: Synchronicity: Aftermath**

 **Song: Synchronicity**

 **Category : Vocaloid**

 **Characters : Kagamine Len, Kagamine Rin, MEIKO, KAITO, Kamui Gakupo **

**Rating : K+**

 **Genre/s : Family, Humor, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort**

 **Pairings : Depends on your point of view. I guess if you're a Meiko/Kaito or a Len/Rin shipper you can squint and see a bit of romance. But for me it's just pure friendship. **

**Full Summary : ****Set after the events of the Synchronicity series. Rin knew it's going to be hard adjusting to society after living in a cave for 14 years with nothing but a dragon god for company. It's especially hard when her brother's companions are pretending to be a family just to let her experience what it's like to have one. But learning how to do everyday things is just so much fun when neighbor Kaito ('older brother', he says) is there to spice things up! Seems like she still has a lot of things to learn in this world...**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own the Vocaloids or the Synchronicity series.**

 **...**

 **I RECOMMEND THAT YOU WATCH THE VIDEOS FIRST. You can find the links in my profile. Watch it in order: Looking For You In The Sky, Paradise of Light and Shadow, and Requiem of the Spinning World. It's really good, I swear!**

 **First chapter will be serious first, then we'll move on to the humorous bits. :)**

 **Please read and review!**

* * *

Kaito smiled at the scene before them now, his eyes relieved and a bit sad. Meiko glanced at him for a moment before returning to watch the unsuspecting duo in the other room. "What's the sad look for mage? Everything's over, we should all be happy right now. Unless you're keeping another dragon under that ridiculous scarf of yours…"

"No dragons, I'm afraid." Kaito shook his head. "I just felt a bit like a proud father seeing those two," He nodded his head at the sleeping twins in the room, their deep slumber a clear indication that they're exhausted. "After a very long time, they are finally together."

"As they should be." Meiko nodded, then frowned at him. "Wait, father? You look more like an older brother to me. Or probably just a next door neighbor. Gakupo's the one that looks like a father."

"Don't go involving me into this." Gakupo raised an eyebrow from his spot in the living room. "Besides, when did we ever form a family?"

"Since we rescued you from that shabby prison you got thrown into Gakupo!" Kaito grinned, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Gakupo and Meiko exchanged a look before fixing Kaito with a stern gaze. "Seriously mage, what's wrong with you?" Meiko demanded.

Kaito smiled and shrugged. _That guy is always smiling.._ Meiko vaguely noticed.

"It's nothing important. I'm just thinking about what happened in the cave…"

"The part where you suddenly abandoned us in the middle of the battle?" Meiko raised an eyebrow at him, still clearly annoyed and disappointed.

Kaito glanced at them guiltily and visibly slumped. "I know it looks like I betrayed all of you for leaving so suddenly. In all honesty, I have no excuses. I was a coward, too frightened to face my responsibility. In the end it almost cost you your lives…"

"I still don't fully understand," Meiko finally turned to face him, "What _is_ this responsibility of yours?"

"You never cared about Len's quest at all, correct?" The mage and the soldier both turned to the scholar, his face dead serious. "You just went along because you wanted to save the Pythoness."

"Miku." Kaito nodded, his face now solemn and devoid of any smile. "Yes, I did want to save her. But over time, I did start to care a bit about you guys and about Len's quest. I understand that he wants to save his sister, because I too have someone I wanted to save. Miku isn't like that in the beginning. Before she became the cold and unforgiving pythoness you met in the cave, she's my dearest friend. A fellow practitioner of magic. A kind, patient, and caring girl. At one point, I even fell in love with her." Kaito then laughed, but it was empty and humorless. Meiko and Gakupo both waited for him to stop, because they could almost swear that it made the temperature in the room drop a bit. "But then came the day where that thrice-damned oracle sent for soldiers to capture Miku. The previous Pythoness had died, for she could not contain a power as mighty as a dragon's. At the time, Miku was the best female magic-user in our village, so naturally, she became the first choice."

Meiko and Gakupo both nodded in understanding, slowly realizing what really happened. Kaito continued, "While she is indeed very powerful, she can't defeat the legions of soldiers surrounding her then, even with my help. We are quickly overpowered, and I was forced to watch as they stuck that horrible mask on her face, as her thrashing and struggling slowly stopped, as a new Miku replaced the one I loved. And there wasn't anything I can do to stop it."

Kaito sighed and placed his hands on his face, not wanting the two to see his anguished look. "As much as I want to rescue her, going to the mountain is suicide. I need her to be free, not for me to die trying. What could I accomplish from dying? Miku would still be there, suffering behind that mask. Instead, I waited for the right time. I accompanied Len because I know he's going up there. He's strong-willed and a decent fighter, but I know he's not powerful enough to stop Miku and the dragon." Kaito then turned to look at them, an almost impish smile on his sad face. "Then you two came along. I swear the palace thing and the both of you tagging along is something I definitely did _not_ expect. It did increase our chances of survival though."

Meiko rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Gee, thanks mage. Your gratitude is definitely overflowing."

"So the reason why you left us is because…?" Gakupo quickly interrupted, knowing from days of travelling that their argument could go on until evening.

"As I said earlier, I was a coward. I can't bear to see Miku killing all three of you in cold blood. I can't bear to see her like that, so the moment Len got defeated, I ran away to save myself. I thought then that I would wait and try again."

"But you didn't." Meiko said softly. "You came back. Why?"

"Because I realized all of a sudden that I was an idiot, and that I'm no better than the Pythoness if I suddenly deserted you all. I knew then that I need to act immediately. I assume you didn't see this, but after you all went unconscious, I approached Miku and tried talking to her. I tried persuading her. We even went into a duel of sorts. It was horrible fighting her like that, but it's all for naught. The mask had a really deep influence on her. I was defeated, but I had enough power left to revive all of you and treat you while she got distracted by something."

"So all in all, you never did abandon us." Meiko stared at him with respect shining in her eyes. Gakupo smiled at him and nodded, but Kaito shook his head, his eyes taking on a regretful gaze. "It didn't matter. In the end, Miku still died. My waiting is useless!"

"You tried your best Kaito, and in the end, you saved us all." Meiko smiled at him reassuringly. "Miku has gone to a happier place now, where she no longer has to deal with suffering and cruel dragon gods."

"Besides, you have us now." Gakupo added. Kaito stared at them in surprise, before grinning like crazy, though his eyes still held a hint of sadness. "I can't believe I'll ever hear a heartfelt remark like that from a serious person like you Gaku-buddy! And Meiko-dear! You even said my name!"

"Ohh shut up…" Meiko glared at him with a hint of red on her cheeks.

"If you two don't mind lowering your voices, I think Len's waking up already." Gakupo informed them. Meiko and Kaito both jumped and peeked hesitatingly into the other room. Indeed, the blond-haired boy seemed to be waking up from his position in the bed, probably roused by their noise…

.

 **~oOo~**

.

Len drowsily blinked his eyes open, the bright cerulean orbs almost glowing from the dimness of the room. He could have sworn he heard talking coming from outside, but now it is strangely quiet…

Having had enough of the ceiling he's been staring at, he braced his body and tried to sit up. But before he could, he abruptly noticed that his left arm is caught on something. He frowned and glanced over, but what he saw made his heart beat twice as fast.

A blond girl lay silently beside him in what looks like a deep sleep, her unnaturally pale skin almost glowing in the dimness of the room. His left arm is stuck under her head, like she had been using it as a pillow. Len's eyes softened at the sight. This is the first time he looked at her properly without any raging dragons and the cave's darkness and the blood. His twin sister is so beautiful… The gentle contours on her face, the button nose, her soft lips… and her bright, innocent cerulean eyes that are exactly just like his. He reached up and gently pushed away strands of her soft blonde hair from her face. Surprised at the softness, he continued twirling his fingers between the strands while continuing to observe her. Len then noticed that his sister is unnaturally thin. Not bone thin, but thin enough that it is obvious that she's not really eating much. Not surprising considering who she was with the whole time. Again, Len gritted his teeth at the reminder of what his sister had gone through all these years when she should have had a normal childhood with him. She didn't deserve any of it! It's a miracle she even survived as long as she did!

Not noticing the two silent observers, Len started to hum an unfamiliar song while still stroking his sister's hair. Now that Rin's here and the dragon is dead, it won't be long before the rest of the kingdom will find out just what happened. Hopefully, things would clear up soon because there's bound to be an uproar.

And about Rin… Len gazed at her face with obvious tenderness, a ghost of a soft smile on his lips. She'll have to get used to the outside world. Things that Len deemed normal would be something extraordinary for her. She'll also be completely clueless at various things. But whatever happens, Len would always be by her side. He'll patiently teach to her all the things he's already known his whole life. He'll defend her if a bad situation ever arises. She'll never suffer again. She'll always be happy…

A whimper suddenly brought him back to the present. He quickly turned to his sister who is the source of the noise and frowned worriedly… It looks like she's starting to breathe quickly-

Len hastily jumped back when Rin suddenly sat straight up, his battle reflexes the only thing preventing him from colliding his forehead with hers. He watched as Rin stared blankly at the wall in front of them, her previously bright eyes now dull and lifeless. Len continued to watch as she tilted her head, then nodded. Rin slowly opened her mouth…

Len's eyes widened when a sweet, beautiful sound started resonating in the room. Outside, both Meiko and Kaito glanced at each other in surprise while Gakupo quickly peeked into the room with them to find out exactly what was going on.

Len listened to the song for a moment, confused as to why Rin suddenly sang. The song's like nothing he has ever heard of before. It spoke about the warmness of the sun… the sadness and coldness of the rain… the radiant color of the flowers… Rin's describing the wonders of the land they are living in.

"How could she know about the sun and the flowers if she's in the cave her whole life?" Len jumped when a voice suddenly sounded behind him. He turned to see his three travelling companions just standing behind the twins, all with confused expressions. Len then realized that the one who spoke, Gakupo, was right. Rin's singing about the world, but she's never actually seen it. Rin's describing what the flowers look like, when she herself has never even seen one to know.

"And why is she suddenly singing?" Meiko frowned in confusion. That's what Len's wondering about too. Kaito then spoke up, "Maybe… she's thinking that she's still in the cave?"

Shocked at the revelation, all four turned to stare at the pale girl on the bed, still singing and oblivious to their chatter. Len reached a hand hesitantly, before starting to shake her shoulders…

But he's not prepared for Rin to jump back as if his touch had burned her. Her singing abruptly cut off, her wide unseeing eyes staring straight at him. "No please! Didn't you like it? I'm so sorry, I'll sing another one!"

Len's heart then broke, his sister's agonized and frightened voice almost tearing his heart to shreds. His three companions are also frozen stiff, their shock almost perceptible in the air.

"R-Rin…" Len tried again, hurt that his sister is still staring at him with frightened eyes, though he knew it's not really directed at him. "It's Len… you don't need to sing any more… the dragon's gone."

Silence suddenly enveloped the room, the occupants only staring at each other. Rin opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. "G-Gone?" She talked hesitantly. "What do you mean?"

Len swallowed a lump in his throat, "The dragon's dead, Rin." He gently told her.

At his proclamation, Rin's eyes went wide and she gaped in shock. Len frowned in confusion, how could she not remember when she was there with him the whole time when they both killed the dragon?

"D-Dead…" A whisper pulled him back to the present. Len stared in shock when a tear suddenly slid down his sister's cheeks. Rin's lips slowly formed a smile, her bright cerulean eyes starting to gain life. "It's dead…" She repeated, her voice amazed and full of wonder. "Does that mean I'm… I'm free?" Her voice cracked a bit when she whispered the last word. Len's heart then shattered to pieces, and he could almost hear someone hide a sob behind him. It wouldn't surprise him if it was Kaito or something…

"Yes, you're free Rin." Len smiled softly at her. "You'll no longer have to live in that horrible cave. You'll no longer have to sing every day..."

"No more dragons…" Rin suddenly smiled wide, her pure happiness causing them to smile as well. "I finally get to see my brother!"

That statement caused him to stare in shock at his sister again. It looks like she's still gazing at him with unseeing eyes.

"She's still trapped in that world, Len." Meiko told him softly.

"Get her out of it." Kaito urged him.

Rin is starting to stare at them in confusion and slight fear. Len bit his lip determinedly and nodded, before opening his arms and gently wrapping them around his sister's small body…

.

 **~oOo~**

.

Rin stared in confusion as sounds echoed all around the cave, voices all a jumble. The one she's been speaking to suddenly disappeared, making her feel frightened. Just a moment ago, the warm voice is right there comforting her… but why did it suddenly leave? Did it leave her here all alone again? What if this is an illusion, and she'll wake up later on and the dragon is still there?

The mere thought of that horrible creature sent her trembling in fear. What if the dragon is still alive? Her throat can't take it anymore… it's raw and hurting so much! _Where is that voice?!_

Suddenly, something wrapped itself around her, filling her with warmth. She felt comforted and loved, and Rin slowly started to fall forward. To her surprise, her head bumped in something, but there is no wall in sight. A hand suddenly started stroking her hair, and she widened her eyes when the cave started disappearing around her. The dank and dark walls were slowly replaced by smooth, light colored ones. The ground she was sitting on is suddenly soft and comfortable. The thing holding her suddenly felt more like strong arms. And the thing her head bumped into earlier then formed into a chest.

In bewilderment, Rin raised her head up and met eye to eye with a familiar blue-eyed boy. They both looked so alike, and it didn't take her much to know who he is.

"Rin…" The boy said gently, his eyes warm and kind. "You're safe now."

And she believed him.


	2. Sunrise and Grass

It is the dawn of the next day. The occupants of the cottage that Gumi rented for them are all sleeping soundly, too exhausted to rise so early when their whole adventure just ended yesterday. So it's a surprise when one of the occupants started to stir and wake.

...

Len frowned and groaned softly when the bed shifted from underneath his head, causing the bed's occupant to freeze. She waited for a few moments before trying again, slipping away from the covers and walking softly towards the door, extremely careful not to wake him up. But Len didn't travel for days on the road while constantly getting ambushed by soldiers for nothing. He learned to be a light sleeper, and was roused when he heard the door clicking shut.

He raised his head from its position on the bed, his back and neck sore from sitting on a hard chair for practically the whole night. He stared in confusion at the empty bed, the girl who was just asleep a few moments ago gone. After the episode last night, Rin promptly fell asleep again. His companions advised him to rest as well, because they're all still too tired from the battle that just happened yesterday. He didn't want to hog Rin's space, so he settled on a chair and fell asleep holding her hand.

But now there's no sign of Rin anywhere. He knew she just left, so after stretching to get his sleeping muscles to wake up, he headed after her.

…

Len soon found his sister standing beside the open window, her eyes staring at the sky and her blonde hair dancing from the soft wind. She looks so beautiful… like an angel. Careful not to disturb her, he walked quietly until he is right behind her. He peered around to see what she is looking at, and had to hold his breath at the sight.

He never really had the time to look at the sunrise during his travels. They're always hurrying to get going, too paranoid to stay in one place when the Oracle has soldiers all over the place. But now that it's all over, he found himself silently observing as the sun slowly came out, filling the sky with different colors ranging from yellow, to orange, to blue. He vaguely heard Rin gasp in front of him, and he dared a peek at her face.

Now Rin's even more radiant. Her pale skin seemed to glow from the light from the sun. Her bright eyes almost reflected the sky, her mouth in a silent 'o' in wonder. Len found himself smiling at her, forgetting that he's now in full view. It didn't take long for Rin to finally notice that someone is staring right at her face.

"Oh! L-Len…" Rin stammered in surprise, her eyes darting around nervously. "I... I'm sorry if I woke you up! I'll return now…" She said, but her eyes is still glancing at the window with longing.

"No, it's okay." Len reassured her. "I've always wanted to watch the sunrise with you." He smiled gently, and Rin found herself comforted by his presence.

"So this is a sunrise?" Rin wondered aloud. "It's so beautiful and bright… I didn't know there were so many colors…"

Len just nodded silently, content to just watch Rin enjoy herself. This is probably the first time she's ever seen one, so he stayed quiet to let her savor the moment.

"And the wind feels so good too!" Rin smiled brightly. "At the cave there's no wind… it's always so cold and damp and dark… the ground feels so rough too… and the dragon's always screaming…" Suddenly, she seems to be getting sadder and frightened as the memories started again.

Realizing what is happening, Len quickly tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, what do you say we go outside the house? It's a bit too cramp inside for my liking."

At the words 'outside', Rin's eyes brightened again and she nodded eagerly like a little child. "Yes please!"

Len laughed and gently took her hand, leading her towards the door. "Outside the ground is covered in little weeds called grass," He informed her. "It's not rough but it tickles when we go barefoot. It's also going to be pretty warm and bright when the sun rises completely." Len then smiled at her, knowing this will catch her attention. "Outside, we can also see a lot of flowers."

"Flowers?" Rin's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Yes, flowers!" Len grinned. "They're colorful and they smell really great! They're also very pretty, like you."

To Len's slight surprise, Rin's cheeks colored a bit as she smiled shyly. "Thank you Len."

Finally getting the door open, Len led Rin away from the cottage and to the world beyond. Rin's feet are bare, so she instantly giggled when her feet touched the grass. "Y-You're right! It _does_ tickle!" She laughed lightly.

Len can't help the grin forming on his face as Rin's happiness and excitement became contagious, and it isn't long before he felt like a little boy again. "Then I'll go barefoot too!" He said as he removed his shoes. He watched as Rin started to run and twirl and dance around in the grass, her movements fluid and graceful, like she's been doing this her whole life. Len's mood instantly darkened when he remembered that she _did_ do this her whole life. She danced and sang for a dragon that didn't care the slightest bit for her. She danced and sang for the people outside that only cares that she lives long enough so they won't be dead themselves. Rin would've lived a miserable life if he hadn't rescued her. She would've died without no one knowing nor caring who she was. She'll instantly be replaced by the next diva until the cycle continues. It's all incredibly unfair, and Len is glad that they managed to stop the cycle completely now. The dragon's dead, no more divas would be taken from their families, and most of all… his sister's finally with him.

He got abruptly cut off from his thoughts when a small hand grabbed his and he suddenly found himself twirling alongside his sister in the grass. Because of his extreme surprise and feet that are not used to dancing, he just tripped and stumbled ridiculously after his graceful sister, who looked a bit amused at his plight. "You don't know how to dance?"

"It's never really been a priority of mine…" He grumbled, a bit embarrassed that Rin had to see him like that.

But he never expected what she said next. "Don't worry, I'll teach you!" Rin smiled happily and quickly grabbed both his hands.

The next few moments were spent dancing around the front door of the cottage and looking silly, but strangely enough, Len enjoyed it. He spent the whole time laughing and smiling as his sister tried to teach him how to dance. He didn't care that he looked ridiculous. He didn't care that if someone tried to teach him like this before he would've pushed them away in embarrassment. Today he's with his precious sister, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Both brother and sister didn't notice the three peeping toms spying on them from behind the door, a certain blue-haired mage laughing so hard he fell on the ground. The female soldier was scolding him while the scholar just shook his head, suddenly realizing that he _does_ seem to be like the father of their mismatched family of misfits.

"Len just looked so ridiculous dancing like that!" Kaito has tears in his eyes now from laughing so hard.

"Oh stop laughing at them! Unlike you, they both actually looked adorable!" Meiko glared sternly at him. Kaito burst out laughing again.

"It's hard to take you seriously when you suddenly used the word ' _adorable'_ while glaring like that!"

"Just shut up you two." Gakupo rolled his eyes at their antics. "Besides, they already noticed us now."

The two immediately froze and turned to face the door, which is now wide open. They both noticed that the previous diva is presently looking at them in confusion, while Len is gaping and stuttering, all the while being bright red in the face. "W-Were you just watching us?!"

"Uhh yeah?" Kaito answered honestly and the other two face-palmed.

Len just continued stammering and staring. Meiko and Kaito stared back while Gakupo and Rin just glanced at each other. Finally, Rin broke the silence by giggling.

"Y-You all look so funny!" She laughed. The three glanced at each other, not knowing if they should be offended or not. Len glared at them, so they all wisely just shut up.

"Please come join us. I want to get to know you all better!" Rin offered. All four stared at her in surprise. Rin suddenly reverted to being shy, probably realizing her boldness. "I… that is… i-if you want to..."

" _Of course_ I want to!" Kaito suddenly grinned like crazy and held her hand. Surprising all of them and Len more so, Kaito brought her hand up to his face and kissed it gently. " **My precious princess.** "

No one is particularly surprised when the next moment, the cottage is then full of yelling and running and crashing, Len's angry voice and Kaito's screaming the most audible. Rin just stared at her hand while blushing like mad while Meiko and Gakupo both reassured her that it's called a kiss and no, it's _not_ another curse.

…

 **Please review guys! I want to know what you're thinking! Don't just keep it in, let 'em all out! xD**


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